In a steady voice, Anthony Long doled out instructions to 10 boys jogging up and down the court.

He split them into two groups, offense and defense, for 3-on-3 drills, push-ups in between. Then, shirts versus skins. Water break. Do it again.

Practice stopped when a player didn't execute a basic defensive move. Long's voice remained level, a mix between parent, guidance counselor and teacher; never yelling, never frantic. It didn't even sound so bad when he looked straight at the player and said, "I've got a guy who's been playing well, deserves more minutes. Whose minutes is he gonna take? Right now, it would be yours."

Long began coaching basketball at Dr. Phillips 13 years ago and has a 308-89 record. This year, though, he faced rebuilding after losing his entire starting lineup — two graduates and three transfers — a challenge many thought would end the Panthers' 22-year streak of 20-win seasons.

Instead, last year's bench warmers and junior varsity players have transformed into a group that's led Dr. Phillips to a 14-2 record so far. The Panthers enter Saturday's Showdown in O-Town at Orlando Christian Prep ranked fourth in the Sentinel's Super 16. They will play Lake Highland at 7 p.m., the final of five games that day.

"We had a pretty good idea of who would be the next man up, and they've really fulfilled their roles," Long said. "We place high expectations upon them. We expect them to get to the level, to the bar that we've had the past 10, 15, 20 years at Dr. Phillips. Fortunately, this year, the kids have responded."

Long estimates the Panthers lost 85 percent of last year's scoring, and that the current starting lineup accounted for less than 20 percent of DP's total minutes from game one to the 2015 season-ending 8A region semifinal loss against Boone.

When 6-foot-7 forward Justin Tucker found out his teammates, Chaundee Brown, Malik William and Elijah Jordan, were transferring to First Academy over the summer, he knew his role would change significantly. Behind the trio of top 2017 prospects last year, Tucker averaged 5.9 points per game off the bench. Now, he leads the Panthers with 15.5 points per game and 10.4 rebounds.

"At first, I had to pick up a lot of slack they left here," Tucker said. "Now, I feel like we're better than we were last year. I believe we're more of a team this year because last year we all rode the bench together; we all lived (it) together. So, they're all my brothers. I'm not surprised we're 14-2."

Junior Nick Smith, the only other player who regularly contributed to varsity last year, has gone from 5.6 ppg to 10. Others, such as senior Richard McKenzie (10.4 ppg) and sophomore Je'Quan Burton (7.6), provide a reliable supporting cast.

"It's next man, no matter what," Smith said. "This program is not going to stay behind just because three kids left."

Perhaps the most impressive growth has come from sophomore guard Daniel Love, who played JV fulltime last season, and saw action in three varsity games. Now, he's averaging 12.5 ppg, behind only Tucker, and is shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc. He's made a total of 28 three-pointers, double anyone else on the team.

If the Panthers nab six more victories, they will be just one 20-win season behind Miami Senior's state record streak of 24 seasons (1973-1997). Beyond that, Dr. Phillips is hoping for a deep playoff run. In the program's storied success, a state title has remained elusive despite six final four appearances and three trips to a championship game (2007, 2010 and 2011)

"We knew people would think we would be nothing without them, and our team would be nothing," said Love. "So, we just put our minds to proving them wrong.